Free Soul Splinter by Abi Elphinstone Page A

open and lamplight fell upon an enormous figure. Moll and Siddy backed up against the table as Barbarous Grudge walked into the room, the floorboards sagging and groaning beneath him. The boys they had seen in the shipyard and the alleyway swaggered in after him, locking the door behind them.
    Grudge ran a tongue over his golden teeth and sat down on the bed. The springs wheezed. ‘Glad to see you’ve had a good rest. Now it’s time to get down to business. This amulet you talked about in the shipyard – where is it?’
    Neither Moll nor Siddy said anything. Their silence was hard and cold as if it had been sculpted from marble.
    Grudge grunted. ‘Smog told us you were heading for The Crumpled Way?’
    Moll willed herself to be brave, tried to make herself think as Oak – or even Alfie – would have done. ‘We don’t know exactly where the amulet is, but we know it’s out past Inchgrundle.’ She offered Grudge two haughty eyebrows and a nostril flare even though her heart was thumping.
    Siddy nodded, catching on to Moll’s thoughts. ‘We were heading for the first road out of here – The Crumpled Way.’
    Grudge’s boys whispered to each other, then the wiry lad leant close to Grudge. ‘They’ll be lying, boss. Pesky gypsies trying to throw us off the scent.’
    Grudge said nothing. Instead, he reached into his pocket and brought out the legendary finger bone. He chewed on it as he thought, then he stood up and walked towards the children.
    His eyes bored into Moll. ‘You look like the kind of girl who might—’
    ‘Bite hard?’ Moll muttered. She sprang forward, a ball of furious energy, and jabbed an elbow into Grudge’s stomach. When he didn’t even flinch, she pummelled her fists into his ribs and began to yell. ‘You’ve no business holding us here!’
    Siddy watched in horror, thought about stepping in, then noticed the other two smugglers advancing behind Grudge and decided to stay where he was.
    Grudge held Moll at arm’s length by her hair. She swung with her fists and snarled, but he only laughed.
    ‘Well, you’re something, aren’t you?’
    Moll twisted herself free and stepped back, panting. ‘Yes. No. Shut up.’
    Grudge pointed a large finger at her. ‘Let’s get this straight. I’m in charge here so don’t bother fighting me as you know who’ll win.’
    Moll glared at him. ‘Moosh always says you’ve got to watch out for the small people; they’re full of surprises.’
    Grudge snorted, then drew himself up before Moll and Siddy, his dreadlocks framing his face like bundles of grimy rope. ‘I’ll send up some food to line your stomachs while me and the Dreads get on with the raid. It’s our biggest one yet and you’re not getting in the way of it.’ He paused. ‘But afterwards you’ll lead us to this amulet – and we’ll see if your stories about it are really true.’
    Moll’s thoughts whirred; how were they going to find the amulet before the Shadowmasks tracked them down when Grudge planned to lock them in The Gloomy Tap?
    The leader of the Dreads turned towards the door, key in hand, then he looked back at Moll and Siddy. ‘And don’t even think about trying to break free while we’re away. We Dreads own this village and you’re our property now. If you so much as put a foot outside this pub, we’ll string you up with sailor’s rope and see you hanged before dawn.’
    There didn’t seem a great deal to say or do in response to this so Moll just nodded. Beside her, Siddy gulped.

H ours later, after a lukewarm stew of gristly meat and watery potatoes, Moll and Siddy sat on the bed in the room at The Gloomy Tap.
    ‘We need to escape,’ Moll said quietly.
    The rain pattered against the window. Siddy bit his lip.
    ‘And we need to do it quickly,’ Moll added.
    ‘We’ll be hanged before dawn if we’re caught,’ Siddy mumbled. ‘You heard Grudge.’
    Moll dug her nails into the mattress. ‘Go and sit by the fireplace and practise not being frightened,